ATLANTIC CITY - Sebastian Rivera was in several situations during the 113-pound championship bout of the NJSIAA Individual Wrestling Championships against Delbarton's Patrick Glory where another wrestler would have lost his cool.

However, Rivera, a senior at Christian Brothers Academy, must have had ice in his veins because he was the coolest person in Boardwalk Hall.

And because he kept his cool and his wits about him during an epic bout, Rivera, like his father, Steve, is a state champion as he overcame a four-point first-period deficit and pinned Glory with one second left, becoming CBA's first state champion since the late Pete Black won at 141 pounds in 1969 and the school's second-ever state champion.

"It would have been real easy (to panic),'' Rivera said. "That's what a kid who doesn't want it enough would do. I wanted it a lot. I think you can call me 'the Comeback Kid' like Frankie Edgar," the former Toms River High School East state runner-up and former UFC lightweight champion.

After Glory grabbed a 4-0 lead on a takedown and two back points 50 seconds into the bout and then rode him out the rest of the first period, Rivera looked up at his father, who was the 1987 98-pound state champion when he was a senior at Manalapan, and Vinnie DelleFave, a two-time state champion at Toms River East in 2008 and 2009. Rivera's father runs Elite Wrestling, and DelleFave is one of Rivera's workout partners there.

“They were yelling, ‘You're fine. You're fine. You're fine. Just keep on wrestling,'’ ” Rivera said. “It was the same with the CBA coaches (CBA head coach Russ Witt and assistant coach Dave Santamaria. Witt and Rivera were both in the corner) — they were saying, ‘Just keep on wrestling.’ ”

"I know my mind-set was ‘Keep working. You can score points. Just don't get down on yourself. Just keep working,’ ” said Steve Rivera, when asked to confirm what his son said about what he and DelleFave were yelling to his son. "All tournament he's proven that he can cut into the gap (deficit).''

"Coach Santamaria and I were an absolute mess, but he's got nerves of steel,'' Witt said.

Rivera began to get back into the bout when he rode Glory out in the second period with a tough ride in which he had to scramble to prevent Glory from reversing him.

"I was thinking of letting him up and getting a takedown,'' Rivera said. "I thought if I could wear him down, and he was trying real hard to get out, the odds were in my favor.''

Rivera (34-1) escaped with 1:44 left in the third period to cut the deficit to 4-1. He pulled within 4-3 with a takedown with 1:11 remaining, then quickly let Glory escape to put himself in position to tie the bout with a takedown.

That takedown came with 35 seconds remaining. It was here Rivera was faced with another pressure decision. The options were to cut Glory immediately, fall behind a point to give himself enough time to get a takedown and win the bout, or take the risk of trying to ride Glory and have him escape in the final seconds with no time left to get a takedown.

"I needed to hold him down there. I definitely needed to hold him down there,'''' Rivera said.

Rivera then baited Glory into stepping over.

"When he stepped over there, I knew I was taking a risk, but it paid off at the end,'' Rivera said.

The celebration all came about because Rivera was the calmest person in the building.

"You couldn't unravel him. Nothing was going to stop him. Certainly not a four-point deficit," said Witt, who was the 1997 119-pound state champion when he was a senior at Lacey.

"Everything you try to tell a kid to do right, he tries to do right,'' Steve Rivera said. "As a father, and in the bigger picture of life, because wrestling is a small picture of what we are, I know my son is a fighter and he's going to fight for what he wants in life, and I'm psyched to see the man he's going to be.''

What both Rivera and his father are today is state champions. It should make for great conversation between the two.

"For me, this has just been an incredible journey,'' Steve Rivera said. "To end it like this and then move on to Northwestern (Rivera has signed with Northwestern), I'm beyond proud.''

"This is what you dream for,'' Rivera said. "It's what I went to bed thinking about every night. "My dad did it. Vinnie (DelleFave) did. My coaches (Witt) did it. Now, they can't say ‘Sebastian, shut up, you haven't made the state final.’ I made the state final, and I won it. It's a great feeling.''